Professional Documents
Culture Documents
3
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THE WORLD OF SOFTSYNTHS AND SAMPLERS
A BREAKTHROUGH TWEAK:
RUN 75% MORE ON THE SAME MACHI NE.
REVIEWED:
Audeon UFO softsynth Cycling 74
Cycles vol. 4 IK Multimedia Classic
Studio Reverb PSPaudioware Neon
HR precision mastering EQ Linplug
Octopus synth Ueberschall Urban
Jointz sound library
WI N AN I K MULTI MEDI A AMPLI TUBE 2 GUI TAR AMP
AND EFFECTS MODELI NG POWERHOUSE! I T' S MUNGO.
CAN THI S SAMPLE PLAYER
READ YOUR MI ND?
VSLs new Vienna
Instruments player
harnesses their
vast orchestral
library under
real-time control
FREE ALGORI THMI C RHYTHM GENERATOR. DOWNLOAD I T
FROM WWW. VI RTUALI NSTRUMENTSMAG. COM.
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V I R T U A L I NS T R U ME NT S 5
From the
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Editor/publisher: Nick Batzdorf
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Contributors: Jim Aikin, Peter Buick, David Das, Doyle Donehoo,
Jerry Gerber, David Govett, Ashif King Idiot Hakik, Michael Marans,
Monte McGuire, Orren Merton, Chris Meyer, Dave Moulton, Zack Price,
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Dietz Tinhof, Jesse White.
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T
his magazine would be nothing without the great writers
whove been contributing to it, and Im happy to welcome a
few new ones this issue.
First but not least, its a real thrill having a second writer who
was on Keyboard magazines staff back in the 80s heyday (the
first being Jim Aikin; that incarnation of Keyboard was what
inspired me to get into this field). Michael Marans is one of the
most knowledgeable people around when it comes to synthesizer
programming, and his first article Control Voltage is great for
beginners and more advanced programmers alike. We look for-
ward to many more.
Next, everyone on the internet forums knows composer
Thomas Bergersens work. There are some very talented people
around, but absolutely nobody Ive heard can do what Thomas J,
as hes usually called, does using orchestral sample libraries.
Check out From Sketch to Score, and be sure to download and
listen to the audio example from our website. Thomas lives in
Trondheim, Norway, but he works in the U.S. and all over.
Also in the international spirit, thousands of TASCAM
GigaStudio users around the world have benefitted from Mattias
Henningsons Windows registry tweaks. Mattias is from Sweden;
Scandinavia is a hotbed for hardcore sample library users. What
Mattias did is figure out how to access a good 25% more
installed memory in GigaStudio 2, and TASCAM incorporated his
tweaks into GigaStudio 3 (which incidentally can often load a fur-
ther 20%, but without installing more RAM). This time Mattias
explains how to use the Windows 3GB switch, allowing programs
other than GigaStudio to access a good 75% more RAM. There
used to be no reason to install more than 2GB in a Windows
machine, but now it makes sense to put in 3 or 4GB.
(Why is RAM access so important? Because it allows you to
have more programs cued up and ready to play in your sampler,
even if you dont end up using all of them.)
The other new writers I want to introduce are Jason Scott
Alexander, who among other things does a great job with plug-
inssomething were now getting around to covering more, as
promised in the inaugural issue; and Orren Merton. Part 1 of
Orrens Logic Pro Ultrabeat tutorial was in our last issue, so hope-
fully its not too serious a violation for this acknowledgement to
accompany Part 2. Orren wrote an excellent book on Apple Logic
Pro (Logic 6 Power) for Thomson Course Technology.
Next issue well announce the winners of the Mungo
Giveaways weve been having. You can enter the current one by
going to our website, www.VirtualInstrumentsMag.com. While
youre there, perhaps youd like to subscribe. This might also be a
great time to renew your subscription; the rates have been artifi-
cially low while we launched the magazine, but were going to
raise them in the near future. Enjoy the issue. VI
Distributor: Rider Circulation Services, 3700
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Standard disclaimer: Virtual Instruments
Magazine and its staff cant be held legally
responsible for the magazines contents or
guarantee the return of articles and graphics
submitted. Reasonable care is taken to ensure
accuracy. All trademarks belong to their owners.
Everything in here is subject to international
copyright protection, and you may not copy or
imitate anything without permission.
2006 Virtual Instruments, Inc.
www.magesy.ru
www.magesy.ru
www.magesy.ru
8 V I R T U A L I NS T R U ME NT S
54
Logic Pro Ultrabeat
pt. 2
by Orren Merton
Part 2 of a 2-part tutorial on the built-in groove machine.
3GB Switch
by Mattias Henningson
The superhero responsible for increasing GigaSamplers mem-
ory access by a third explains how to tweak Windows XP so
other programs can access about 75% more memory for
loading samples.
Letters
Launch
Introductions, updates, news
10
26
12
June/July 2006
V2.N3
Voltage Control
by Michael Marans
A new series on programming synthesizers from the
ground up
30
From Sketch to Score
by Thomas J. Bergersen
Translating sequenced music to a score for live players pres-
ents some unique challenges. The highly skilled and talented
young composer Thomas Jwhos also unparalleled at
orchestral MIDI programminggoes over his process for
doing that, offering pointers along the way
Jerry Gerber
interview by Nick Batzdorf
A very different kind of poster boy for the V.I. medium.
14
44
www.magesy.ru
V I R T U A L I NS T R U ME NT S 9
VI
VI
VI
contents
reviews
40
Vienna
Symphonic
Library
Symphonic Cube
by Nick Batzdorf
The Vienna Instruments player is not
your fathers sampler, nor is VSL his
sampled orchestra
IK Multimedia
Classik Reverb
by Lee Sherman
Real-time control meets the charac-
ter and flexibility from the glory days
of outboard
Linplug Octopus
by Jim Aikin
A boatload of distinctive and highy
programmable electronic tones
PSPaudioware
Neon HR Linear
Phase Precision
Mastering
Equalizer
Review by Jason Scott Alexander
Sometimes a guest that takes over
your machine is welcome
Loop Librarian:
Uberschall Urban
Jointz; and
cycles vol. 04:
momentary
incursions
by Chris Meyer
A collection of useful modern hi-
hop and Rnb flavas, and the latest
volume in a unique series of sound
design elements
Audeon UFO
synth
by Jim Aikin
Something old, something new
June/July 2006
V2.N3
64
22
36
38
42
50
52
random
tip
Trends scripting
The craze over customizing Native Instruments Kontakt 2
Random Tips
Getting Steinberg V-Stack to wake up
Buick Sessions:
Sound design in music
production
by Peter Buick
Part 2 of our look at inspiration and production: a free algo-
rithmic rhythm generator program.
58
64
www.magesy.ru
1 0 V I R T U A L I NS T R U ME NT S
Studio Farms article
I was very interested to read Jesse Whites
article Studio Farms in the April/May edi-
tion. I have been interested in creating a serv-
er-based system for some time now and
appreciate the helpful info Jesse included in
his article.
I am running a Windows DAW with
Steinberg Cubase SX3 as my main recording
and sequencing environment. I have delved
fairly heavily into plug-ins and V.I.s for some
time now and realize how these can tax my
system, so a studio farm set up would be per-
fect for me. I also run multiple accelerator
cards in my setup (Universal Audio UAD-1
Studio Paks and TC PowerCore FireWire).
My question is, in the studio farm setup,
where would these units be placed? I assume
that my DAW would be able to access the
cards if placed in the server. Please clarify.
Gary Janzen
Vancouver, Canada
If youre using FX-Teleport (www.FX-
Max.com) to run audio over ethernet, youd
want them on your sequencing DAW rather
than the server. The reasons for this arent
philosophicalthats just what works.
Hi Jessie: First of all, the Studio Farms
article you wrote was an epiphany for me on
the way to set up my studio. Between the
benefits of reliability (if something goes
down) and workflow (only using 1 comp), I
little bit of a pain with these applications. Im
hoping that bringing this reality to the table
with articles like this and composers wanting to
migrate to this system that companies will real-
ize their need for a solution.
NB adds: This is likely to become an increas-
ingly important issue as more and more musi-
cians start using multiple computers. Copy pro-
tection schemes need to make it possible to run
software on an entire subnet, i.e. a studio
farm network.
Perhaps dongle manufacturers could offer
developers sub-dongles that require the pres-
ence of the main dongle on the same subnet,
and challenge-response schemes could do some-
thing similar. Theyd have to figure out how to
ensure that multi-user facilities still purchase site
licenses, but that shouldnt be an insurmount-
able detail.
Back issues and subscriptions
I am thoroughly enjoying Virtual
Instruments since I subscribed.
What a great magazine! Im certain that
you will have much success and Ill do my
part to ensure that by continuing to sub-
scribe.
Any decisions yet about offering hard
copies of previous issues?
David Noll
Harlingen, TX
Thanks very much David. Yes, back issues are
now available in the US for $5 each plus $5
shipping/handling per order (regardless of the
number of issuesa policy that will obviously
have to change when weve been around a little
longer and there are more back issues). The
exception is that the premiere issue is $20 + $5;
we have only a handful of them left.
International shipping/handling depends on the
country, but its going to be in the $9 range.
Please visit www.VirtualInstrumentsMag.com.
While were on the subject of back issues,
theres some confusion about the PDF down-
loads of all our issues. The PDFs are exactly the
same as the print edition, page for page, ads
and all. We have no immediate plans to remove
our back issues from the download account
area, so if you subscribe you can read all the
issues youve missed on your computer (or you
can print them out).
Now, we offer download-only subscriptions to
overseas readers for the same price as a US sub
(because overseas delivery is expensive). Whats
confusing people is that every subscriber to the
print magazine can also sign up for a download
account as part of the service.
If youve subscribed and havent signed up
for a download account, please go to our web-
site and click on Download Subscription. We
have to approve the accounts manually, so
please be patient if its the middle of the night
when were out of the office. VI
VI
l e t t e r s
Letters
write to:
nb@virtualinstrumentsmag.com
was so thrilled by the theory behind it all. I
have currently been using five PCs and one
Mac all slaved to a main Mac running MOTU
Digital Performer. Each of the comps, howev-
er, has a dedicated set of V.I.s that it runs and
if one goes down.... Well you know.
This concept of using Fx-Teleport as a dis-
tribution system, having everything fed from
a central server and working off one box is so
cool!
My question: immediately after reading
your article, I went right out and bought a
RAID card and some drives and began recon-
figuring one of my PCs as a server. The prob-
lem I ran into, however, was that whenever I
would request a V.I. be on a farm machine,
it wouldnt work because the farm machine
wasnt authorized for that plug-in.
Do you have to have a license for every
plug-in for every farm machine? If so, thats
just going to be too cost prohibitive for me. Is
there something Im missing? I installed the
plug-ins on my main computer, but installed
the *.dll file and the libraries onto my server.
It works fine if Im using the plug-in on my
main comp, but as soon as I farm it out to
one of the other comps, it wont come up
and says (on the farm comp screen) that its
not authorized.
If licenses end up being a problem, then
we need to start bugging the manufactures
to provide some type of farm licenses. The
way this works is in no way a violation of any
existing license because this system acts as
one computer with one user.
Patrick Rose
via email
Jesse White responds: Im glad my article is
helping people understand how to streamline
their studios better. As far as authorizations, a
lot of the time you can just use the same serial
number on multiple machines. There isnt really
an answer for dongles.
The reality that these companies dont under-
stand is that their software works great for net-
working applicationsbut they dont offer an
easy way to set it up. The authorizing can be a
www.magesy.ru
www.magesy.ru
1 2 V I R T U A L I NS T R U ME NT S
Steinberg HALion Symphonic
Orchestra
Based on Steinbergs HALion sampler, this new orchestral library ($499, crossgrades
and upgrades available) is over 27GB and includes 1250 patches. A Crescendo controller
feature lets you blend samples with different dynamics in real time, there are keyswitch
instruments, you can adjust the recorded ambience, and the library is designed to be
playable and efficient.
The cross-platform instrument works in VST, AU, DXi, ReWire, and stand-alone for-
mats.
www.steinberg.net
Launch
Introductions, updates, news
VI
l a u n c h
Ableton Live Lite Enhanced:
free upgrade for Digidesign and
M-Audio users
The new Enhanced edition includes many features from Abletons Live 5. Live is a
unique digital audio sequencer that lets you string together layers of loops and pattern
arrangements in real time, drag and drop effects and instruments, and much more.
Some Digidesign and M-Audio products are bundled with a light version that has
been upgraded. New features include plug-in delay compensation, MIDI remote con-
trol, full ReWire support, hi-def recording and rendering (up to 32-bit), Mackie Control
support, Track Freeze, and their Complex warp mode for time stretching.
http://www.ableton.com/free-m-audio-upgrade
http://www.ableton.com/free-digidesign-upgrade
ILIO Ethno
Techno
S.A.G.E,.
Xpander for
Spectrasonics
Stylus RMX
Ethno Techno ($99) is the first in a
series of four S.A.G.E. expanders for
Spectrasonics popular Stylus RMX
Realtime Groove Module, featuring the
playing of Bashiri Johnson. Produced
by Spectrasonics Eric Persing, the
library features rare instruments and
unique rhythms and textures, from
broad and spacious ambient explo-
rations to radical heart-pounding
beats.
These new sounds can be used on
their own or as a complement to other
RMX libraries.
www.ilio.com
www.magesy.ru
V I R T U A L I NS T R U ME NT S 1 3
VI
l a u n c h
BIAS Peak Pro 5.2
The latest upgrade ($179) to BIAS top-line audio editing, processing, and mastering pro-
gram features 100% native compatibility on Intel-based and PowerPC Macs. It also offers a
new authorization method that doesnt require a USB dongle.
Watch for a full review of Peak 5 in our next issue, but the major new features include an
advanced playlist with Red Book premastering features (CD Text, ISRC, track indexing, cus-
tom gaps, cross-fades). Peak also hosts V.I.s, which makes the program especially interesting
in our context.
www.BIAS-inc.com
Toontrack EZDrummer
This $179 acoustic drum library was recorded at Avatar
Studios in NY by Nir Z and produced by Neil Dorfsman,
Mattias Eklund, and Henrik Kmellberg. It has the same
layer depth as Toontracks dfh Superior, with 7000 16-
bit/44.1kHz sound files, but its designed to reduce system
requirements to a minimum, while providing entry-level
usability and professional flexibility.
Features include multiple mic controls, an internal mixer
for stereo and multitrack routing into the host from one
plug-in, preset mix modes for quick sound changes, a visu-
al interface that combines kit construction and auditioning,
instant access to a drum library of patterns you can drag
and drop, and instant loading into RAM to cut down sub-
sequent loading time. Toontrack has announced three
expansion packs: Latin Percussion EZX, Drumkit From Hell
EAH, and Vintage Brushes EZX.
www.soundsonline.com
PACE Anti-piracy
InterLok 5.4 for Intel
Macs and PowerPC
PACE copy-protection, whether software-based or using
their iLok USB dongle, now works on Intel Macs.
www.paceap.com
Izotope XRB
Expansion for
iDrum and
Garageband
XRB ($29 until 7/23, $49 thereafter) is a col-
lection of 2057 drum grooves triggering 256
playable kits. iZotope also offers a free set of
16 iDrum kits and 74 Apple loops.
www.izotope.com
Submersible Music
DrumCore 2
Submersible DrumCore 2 adds new audio engine features, and
more A-list drummers and styles to its loop librarian/player (reviewed
in our premiere issue). New features include continuously variable
tempos down to three decimal places, tempo sync with ReWire
hosts, separate outs with pitch and pan controls for its MIDI drum-
sounds, and REX export capability. It can also work as a librarian for
REX2 and ACID format libraries intermingled with its own.
The neew loops, fills, and drum kits, include country grooves from
Lonnie Wilson; odd meters (5/4, 7/8, 9/8) from Alan White; double-
kick pop/rock/progressive grooves from Terrio Bozzio; more jazz
brush content from Jon Bishop; and pop grooves from Ben Smith.
www.drumcore.com
www.magesy.ru
VI
f e a t u r e
1 4 V I R T U A L I NS T R U ME NT S
A new series on programming
synthesizers from the ground up
Not everyone has to (or should) go out and sample
a grand piano every time they put a new track
together. But what about your synth sounds? Do
you really want to use Toto Horns III and Steviess
Moog Bass IX on your track? Great sounds to be
sure, but 30 years later, are they original, compelling,
andmost important of allyours?
Voltage Control
Our First DAW beginners series is
on temporary hiatus, since this article
fills its role. But it shall return.
more
online
www.virtualinstrumentsmag.com
by Michael Marans
www.magesy.ru
V I R T U A L I NS T R U ME NT S 1 5
We strive for innova-
tive creativity in our
compositions, so why
do we settle for using
factory presets to real-
ize them? Lots of rea-
sons, to be sure: synths
these days can be
enormously complicat-
ed; their interfaces
most often accessed
via a mousesome-
times dont exactly
invite creative experi-
mentation; and lets
face it, the majority of
factory presets are
ridiculously good,
often created by the
top sound designers in
our industry.
Then again, maybe
weve all become just a
little bit lazy. (Sorry.)
So our exercise
today is to poke, prod,
and cajole you into
digging into your virtu-
al synths and creating
your own unique
sounds. Not just any
sounds, mind you, but
killer sounds on par
with the best of em.
Well start by explor-
ing classic subtractive
analog synth program-
ming. Before your eyes
glaze over and you
break into a big yawn,
remember that some
of the greatest synth
players ever made their
marks with signature sounds created using
some very simple analog toolsand in fact
these players made their unique sounds using
the same tools.
News flash: you can make your mark too.
And were going to prove the point by show-
ing you how to create and customize sounds
using a pretty basic downloadable freeware
synth, called, appropriately, Synth1.
You can use any analog subtractive synth
to follow along in this article. But using
Synth1 can help you realize how even the
most basic toolswhen properly applied
can yield great results.
Knowing which knob to turn
Theres an old joke where a repairman fixes
a broken fridge by kicking it, then presents
the owner of the fridge with a bill for $100.
When the owner complains about paying
$100 for a kick, the repairman scrawls on the
bill: Kicking the refrigerator, $5.00. Knowing
where to kick, $95.00.
In the synth world, knowing where to kick
means knowing which (onscreen) knob to
turn. Yeah, that sounds so basic, but if some-
one says to you, I want a brighter sound,
that result can be realized in dozens of differ-
ent ways. So knowing which knob to turn is
critical for finding the most direct path to the
desired result.
In the old days, analog synthesizers consist-
ed of electronic circuits connected together
manually in various ways to produce the
desired sounds. Those circuits, despite being
specialized for sound generation, were really
nothing more than user-controllable voltage
generators.
In todays virtual instruments, the voltages
have been replaced by bits and bytes, but the
concepts remain the same. Voltages generat-
ed by one circuit are applied to another to
create some type of effect: apply voltage to a
filter, and the filter opens or closes according-
ly. Apply voltage to an oscillator and the pitch
rises or falls accordingly. Apply voltage to an
amplifier and the volume raises or lowers
accordingly.
So in the spirit of getting a handle on pro-
gramming your virtual instruments, a brief
visit to the old days of voltage control is in
order.
The basics components of subtractive ana-
log synthesis are:
Sound generation (oscillators)
Fig. 1: Pop quiz: Can you spot the assigned parameter in the oscillator section that has absolutely no effect on
the sound? (Answer below).
While some virtual instrument interfaces may appear cryptic on the surface, Synth1s front panel actually reveals
a wealth of information about what is going on in the patch. In the patch Solo 1 shown here, key elements of the
sound are immediately obvious: the oscillator waveform shapes (both sawtooth), LFO1 routed to create vibrato
(notice its assigned to both oscillators and engaged via the LFO1 Wheel Sens control), and the use of a 12dB per
octave (2-pole) lowpass filter. Clicking on a control reveals a pop-up with the actual parameter valueuseful for
examining in detail how the patch was created. (Here the Filter Decay has a value of 36.)
Pop quiz answer: The M. ENV parameter LED is lit, indicating that the dedicated oscillator modulation envelope
is in use. However, as the red LED next to p/w reveals, the modulation destination is oscillator pulse width. Since
both oscillators are assigned to sawtooth waveforms, the output from this modulation source is simply going off
into the ether.
Our exercise today is to poke, prod, and cajole
you into digging into your virtual synths and
creating your own unique sounds.
VI
f e a t u r e
www.magesy.ru
1 6 V I R T U A L I NS T R U ME NT S
Downloading the freeware Synth1 and the
Patches Used in This Article:
Synth1:
Synth1 is compatible with Cubase SX, Fruity Loops 3.5, and Sonar (v1.0 and above).
It can be found at:
http://www.geocities.jp/daichi1969/softsynth/index.html#down.Select
synth1107beta.zip at the top of the page. The site is in Japanese, but installation
instructionsand an English language operators manualcan be found at the
Installation(english) link on the same download page. We highly recommend print-
ing the manual.
Patches:
Go to www.VirtualInstrumentsmag.com and click on the More Online tab, then
download the Synth1 Patch Banks. Be sure to load What Knob to Turn.fxb so you can
follow along with the examples used in this article (and get some cool sounds too!).
The custom patches are located in Bank 2 of the download.
Harmonic/tonal shaping (filters)
Amplitude/volume shaping (amplifier)
Dynamic/real-time control (assorted modu-
lators, such as envelopes and LFOs, and real-
time controls such as mod wheels and key-
board velocity)
Effects processing (reverb, delay, chorus,
etc.).
So back to our hypothetical: I want my
sound brighter. If we work our way through
the above list, we can accomplish that desired
effect at every step of the way using different
techniques.
Please check out the sidebar Synth Filters
101. With an oscillator, we would choose a
waveform (the Waveform Selector knob) with
greater high harmonic content, e.g. a saw-
tooth or narrow pulse wave versus a square or
sine wave. At the filter level, we would open
up the filter (the Filter Cutoff knob) to allow
more of the oscillators high harmonic con-
tent to pass through, or use the Filter Select
knob to choose a filter with a gradual roll-off
(e.g. 12dB per octave, or two-pole) rather
than a steep slope (24dB, or four-pole).
At the amplifier level, we would open the
amplifier (the VCA Gain or Amount knob) to
allow the full waveform to be heard (as
opposed to keeping it soft, which would
affect its perceived brightness). At the dynam-
ic control level, we would open our filter and
amplitude envelopes (Filter and Amplitude
Amount knobs) to allow the desired harmonic
content to come through, and also adjust our
real-time controls, such as keyboard velocity,
to similarly open the filter and amplifier.
Effects processing could include EQ-ing the
sound, adding some high-end glistening
reverb, and so on. (Knobs too numerous to
mention at this point, but almost sure to be
found in your synths Effects section.)
Now weve laid out a very basic roadmap
for what knobs you might potentially turn to
achieve a particular result. But what if you
grab the right knob, twist it madly, and dont
hear any effect on your sound?
Welcome to one of the biggest frustrations
in synth programming.
Nothing happens
This common roadblock illustrates why its
critical to understand the voltage control
parameters of your synth. Lets start with per-
haps the most fundamental analog synth
parameter of all, filter cutoff.
In basic analog subtractive synthesis, the fil-
termost commonly a four-pole 24dB per-
octave lowpass designis used to remove
harmonic content from the oscillators wave-
form. In other words, you start with a wave
with all of its inherent harmonics intact and
playing unfiltered at 100% of their amplitude,
and then subtract harmonic content to create
the desired sound.
Dynamic control over the filter, i.e. chang-
ing the waveforms harmonic content over
time, is generally accomplished using the fil-
ter envelope. This is most commonly imple-
mented in an ADSR (Attack, Decay, Sustain,
Release) format, which allows for fairly sophis-
ticated control, despite its simple design.
Lets say you want to create a simple blown
horn sound. If you imagine a real horn, you
can hear that in the initial blowing the
sound is softer and less rich harmonically. You
can approximate that blown sound in your
virtual instrument by adjusting the filter enve-
lope to have a somewhat prolonged attack
time; in other words the filter will open up
over time, allowing the sound to become
more harmonically rich (brighter) after note-
on.
So you turn up the filter envelopes attack
time parameter. And your turn it up more.
And you turn it up morenow to maxi-
Fig. 2: Some users (including this author) may find Synth1s default mustard green
color a bit off-putting. Its easily changed in the Option screen (accessed by clicking
the Opt button at the bottom center of the front panel). You can enter your own hex
code to pick virtually any color; we choose red (990000), since Synth1 is reportedly
modeled on the Clavia Nord Lead 2 red synth; to go with that, we changed the text
from black to white. (Do an internet search for hex color number 990000, and youll
see how this works.) We also set the panel size to 200% to make on-screen program-
ming a bit easier.
VI
f e a t u r e
www.magesy.ru
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1 8 V I R T U A L I NS T R U ME NT S
secret of analog synthesizer pro-
gramming officially revealed! If
you want to hear the effect of
your programming, you need to
turn the appropriate receiving
control to its minimum value so
that the incoming voltage can
work.
A practical example:
In the custom Synth1 patches
weve provided at www.virtualin-
strumentsmag.com, call up Bank
1, Preset 10, French Horn. Play a
few notes to familiarize yourself
with the sound we are going to
create.
Now call up Bank 1, Preset
11, Voltage Experiment. In this
preset the filter is wide open and
the Attack Time parameter is set
to its minimum value. Play a
note or two, and youll hear a
basic percussive pad sound.
Using this pad as a starting
point, well work toward creat-
ing our Preset 10 French Horn
sound. Start by turning up the
Filter attack time knob (A) to
maximum. Notice thats theres
no effect on the sound. Now
turn the Filter amount knob
(amt) to its maximum position;
this routes the full output volt-
age of the filter envelope to the
filter.
Still nothing! So weve proven
the concept outlined a couple of
paragraphs earlier: once the filter
is wide open, no amount of voltage we throw
at it is going to make a difference.
With the Attack and Amount parameters
set to maximum, lets use our minimum value
technique and turn the Filter Cutoff (frq) con-
trol fully counterclockwise, effectively setting
the filter cutoff frequency to 0Hz. Now play a
note and hold it (dont give upyoull need
to hold the note for quite a long time).
Notice that the long attack time is fully real-
ized, due to the fact that the filter was com-
pletely closed, so the voltage from the filter
envelope is able to work to maximum effect.
When the attack time comes to its end, the
harmonic content of the note decreases
rather quickly. The rate of decrease is con-
VI
f e a t u r e
Fig. 3: Patches saved in Synth1 can be color-coded, providing a useful way to organize groups of sounds. Shown here is the
mini-bank of 15 patches created for this article.
Turn it up to 11
I
n our main story weve explored the importance of setting a receiving parameter
to its minimum value so that incoming control voltage can yield the desired effect.
But an equally important programming technique is selecting a parameter and turn-
ing it up to 11. The idea behind this approach is to exaggerate a parameter grossly so
that you can home in on the effect youre looking for precisely; once dialed in, you
simply back down the parameter to the appropriate level.
For example, lets say you wanted to adjust the rate of LFO vibrato. By setting the
LFO amount to 100% you would hear wild vibrato, and youd have no problem hear-
ing tempo of the vibrato as you adjusted it. Once the desired tempo was attained, you
would simply back down the amount to the desired level. This technique is applicable
for setting virtually any parameter, from envelope attack and decay times to pulse
width modulation to tempo-based delays.
mumand still hear absolutely no effect on
your sound.
You look at your synths front panel and
notice that the Filter Envelope Amount knob
(amt in Synth1), which controls how much
voltage is sent to the filter from the filter
envelope, is set to minimum. Aha! So you
crank it to 100%but still nothing! How is
this possible?
Going back to the all-important concept of
voltage control, the filter envelope is sending
voltage to your filter. If the filter is wide
open, that is, if the filter control (usually
labeled as Filter Cutoff, FC, or in the case of
Synth1, frq) is set at maximum, the filter is
already open 100% and passing full, unfil-
tered audio. You could give it a bona fide
electric shock and its not going to open any
more. So whatever voltage youre sending to
it from the filters envelope generator is sim-
ply being ignored.
And there, my friends, you have it: the
Kicking the refrigerator,
$5.00. Knowing where
to kick, $95.00.
www.magesy.ru
www.magesy.ru
20 V I R T U A L I NS T R U ME NT S
Synth filters 101
A
filter is the most basic sound-shaping component in a traditional analog synthe-
sizer, since it fundamentally determines the harmonic content of the sound that
will be produced. A filter shapes that content by attenuating (reducing the volume)
of specific frequencies of the waveform being fed into it from the oscillator(s)
which is why this is called subtractive synthesis.
Which frequencies are attenuated and by how much is determined by the type of
filter used. Heres a basic overview of the filters available in Synth1 and commonly
implemented in other synths.
Lowpass: As its name implies, this filter allows frequencies that are lower than
the cutoff frequency to pass through unfilteredset the cutoff frequency to 0Hz
and no frequencies pass; set it to 20kHz and all sound passes through unfiltered.
Lowpass filters are generally implemented in 2-pole and 4-pole designs, with the
number of poles determining the steepness of the filters slope, i.e. how effective
the filters performance will be. Each pole represents 6dB of attenuation per octave
of frequency. So a 2-pole filter provides 12dB of attenuation per octave and 4-pole
filter provides 24dB. The musical result is that 2-pole filters tend to favor sounds
that have a relatively high degree of harmonic content such as bowed strings, while
4-pole filters are generally associated with fatter sounds such as basses.
Highpass: A highpass filter operates in the exact opposite manner of a lowpass
filter by allowing frequencies higher than the cutoff frequency to pass through unfil-
tered, while attenuating those below the cutoff frequency. Its primarily useful for
thinning out a sound and/or for getting rid of unwanted low end noise, such as
subsonic frequencies (thumps, pops, and the like).
Bandpass: Combine a lowpass and a highpass filter, and you get a bandpass filter.
This filter attenuates frequencies both above and below the filter cutoff point,
allowing a band of frequencies to pass through. In addition to being a sound sculpt-
ing tool, a bandpass filter can be very useful for homing in on the primary frequen-
cies that define a sound, so when mixing, extraneous frequencies that might clash
with other sounds can be eliminated or minimized.
Resonance: A filters resonance control boosts the frequencies at the filters cutoff
pointthe equivalent of the Q control in an equalizer. We all know the classic
Rez Bass sound; its created by boosting resonance, then sweeping the filter using
the Filter Envelope Decay parameter. As with a bandpass filter, the resonance con-
trol can also be used to accentuate a sounds primary frequencies to help create
clean mixes.
trolled by the filter envelopes Decay (D)
parameter, and the level to which it decreases
and stays for as long as the note is held is
determined by the Sustain (S) parameter.
Armed with this knowledge, we can quite
easily transform our percussive pad sound
into a blown horn simply by adjusting the
attack time to a natural level (try 60 - 70 in
Synth1). Further refinement of the sound is
accomplished by adjusting the Filter amount
(lower settings reduce the sounds brightness,
but also lessen the effect of the envelopes
settings) and the Filter Cutoff. The balance
between the Filter Cutoff and the Filter
Amount will determine both the overall har-
monic content of the sound and its dynamic
harmonic content over time.
There is no right combination of settings;
its all up to your individual taste and the
musical application. So experiment with vari-
ous values to see their effect.
Playin around
The mini sound bank developed for this
article was designed to illustrate the basic
concepts weve covered, and give you a start-
ing place for developing your own cus-
tomized sounds. Three groups of sounds in
particularLeads, Basses, and Wurlitzer
pianosdemonstrate how subtle changes in
parameters can often yield dramatic results.
As you move from one patch to another
within a group, take note of the sonic
changes and the parameters that were adjust-
ed to create them. (Clicking on a knob in
Synth1 will yield a pop-up so you can see the
exact parameter value.) The Wurlitzer electric
pianos, for example, make use of simple
changes in the oscillator waveforms (from soft
triangle to harmonically rich sawtooth) and a
gradual opening of the filter to create increas-
ingly brighter and edgier sounds. The solo
tones use the same technique, and also play
with the filter decay control to lessen the per-
cussive knock at the beginning of the
sound gradually.
Were not going to tell what changes were
made in the bass sounds to morph them from
one to another. Hopefully, youll have gleaned
enough knowledge from this article to figure
that out for yourself! Keen-eyed synthesists
will also notice that many of the patches
make use of pulse width modulation, key-
board modes (e.g. unison, mono, poly),
detuning, effects, and so on.
The voltage soundscape
Synthesizer sound design using the voltage
control concept is a lot like painting: there are
thousands of ways to mix paint, and millions
of ways to create trees, clouds, people, and
the like. No one approach is correct; no one
technique is absolute, and no one aesthetic is
universally accepted.
LFOs and envelopes and ramp generators
and wheels and ribbons and keyboards are
just voltage generators, and those voltages
provide a nearly unlimited palette for creative
sound design. Well explore more of this con-
cept in the future. In the meantimekeep
twisting those knobs! VI
Michael Marans fell in love with synthesizers
immediately upon seeing (and hearing) his first
onea Buchla Series 100back in 1966. Hes
been programming them, writing about them,
and consulting on their designs ever since.
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www.magesy.ru
22 V I R T U A L I NS T R U ME NT S
VI
r e v i e w
T
he Symphonic Cube series, the flagship
sampled orchestra product that Vienna
Symphonic Library has been working
toward since they released the first edition a
few years ago, is here. That is, most of its
herewere covering the initial release of the
first five instrument Collections. The remain-
ing five have since come out, and we hope to
cover them soon.
VSLs Vienna Instruments Collections
include a large amount of new material, and
all the files are now in 24-bit format rather
than the original versions 16; the difference
in sound quality is definitely noticeable, espe-
Vienna Symphonic Library
Symphonic Cube
The Vienna Instruments player is not your fathers
sampler, nor is VSL his sampled orchestra.
VSL Vienna Instruments,
Standard/Extended/Both Libraries:
Solo Strings, $415/535/950;
Chamber strings, $595/715/1310;
Orchestral Strings I, $595/715/1310;
Orchestral Strings II,
$535/655/1190; Woodwinds I,
$595/715/1310. (Not yet reviewed
but now available: Harps,
Woodwinds II, Brass I & II,
Percussion.)
www.VSL.co.at. US distributor:
Ilio Entertainments, P.O. Box
6211, Malibu, CA 90265. 818/707-
7222, 800/747-4546,
www.Ilio.com.
Platform: Mac OS XAU, VST;
Windows XPVST. Can also oper-
ate stand-alone.
License: Uses a Syncrosoft USB
dongle (sold separately for $23, or
included with the complete
Symphonic Cube) that limits one
Collection library to one machine;
licenses can be moved (if you pur-
chase additional dongles) in order
to divide the orchestra among mul-
tiple machines, and you can pur-
chase additional dongles.
Review by Nick Batzdorf
cially when you add up an entire orchestra.
But the most important addition is VSLs
remarkable new Vienna Instruments player,
which we previewed in the December/January
issue.
This player is sure to have an impact on the
playback features in all software samplers.
Rather than being a tool for creating pro-
grams, its design is entirely focused on mak-
ing VSLs huge library manageable. It also
makes it much faster to work with.
Vienna Instruments takes the complete
workflow into account, from organizing this
gargantuan library to making its original
Vienna Instruments Control Edit screen. Each cell in the Matrix on the middle left of the interface contains a
different solo cello Preset. The top row contains progressively faster legato transitions, called up seamlessly as
you increase your playing speed (the Speed control at the upper right). You cant tell from this screen, but
the middle row has marcato bowings and the bottom row has spiccatos; this Matrix is using the mod wheel
to choose which row (i.e. which playing technique) you want to play. Notice the eye. The inner meter
displays MIDI velocity, the outer one shows the audio level.
www.magesy.ru
V I R T U A L I NS T R U ME NT S 23
Performance Tool features automatic: insert-
ing various types of legato transition samples,
and avoiding repeated samples of the same
note. Above all, the player brings the vast
quantity of VSL articulations under real-time
control.
Well, the last point may be overstating
things just a little, since in the real world
youre still likely to do some tweaking to get
the most out of VSL. But you could theoreti-
cally call up every articulation you need and
play it live; the only practical limit is memo-
rythe computers for loading programs, and
your own for remembering which controllers
or keyswitches bring up what programs.
The other advance in Vienna Instruments is
that instead of loading one articulation per
MIDI channel and sequencer track, you can
now just load everything you need for an
instrument in a single instance of the player.
So for example the entire solo violin can now
be on one sequencer track and one MIDI
channel, no matter how many articulations
youre using.
But Vienna Instruments most dazzling trick
is its Speed controlthe ability to switch pro-
grams based on how fast youre playing.
Groundwork
The Vienna Instruments Collections are
available as ten separate libraries that can
stand alone. So you could start with, say, the
woodwinds (which are exceptional) or solo
strings (also very good, and great for layering
on top of other section strings to make use of
VSLs recorded legato transitions for added
realism). Given the size of the investment
required to purchase the entire Symphonic
Cuberoughly $11,000it makes a lot of
sense to offer it this way.
All the Collections come on Mac/PC DVDs,
and the ones being reviewed range in size
from about 30 to 55GB. That includes the
Standard library for each, as well as an
optional Extended library with a lot of addi-
tional material. You install both versions
(theyre bundled together in the same files),
and the Extended versionwhich you will
almost certainly lust afteris unlocked for a
30-day trial period if you havent bought it.
Please go to VSLs site (www.vsl.co.at) for a
list of whats included in this library; suffice it
to say that even the Standard libraries are
remarkably comprehensive.
We ran Vienna Instruments on a 2.8GHz
Pentium 4 custom VisionDAW machine
(www.visiondaw.com) with 2GB of RAM, and
a dual 2.5GHz PowerMac G5 with 5GB of
RAM; later we maxed out the G5 with 8GB of
RAM, with some astounding results. The
VisionDAWs processor falls just short of the
recommended 3GHz, but its well above the
2GHz minimum; according to the Macintosh
specs you can run these libraries on a 1GHz
G4, but VSL recommends a G5.
The Symphonic Cube uses Syncrosoft USB
dongles for copy protection (VSL calls the one
they sell for $23 the ViennaKey). As part of
the installation process you download one
license for each Collection you purchase. That
license can go on any Syncrosoft dongle
you can buy extras if you dont have them
from other Syncrosoft-protected libraries
and you can transfer licenses from one dongle
to another at any time.
The content can be spread across multiple
computers or you can access it from one loca-
tion over a network, but only the machine
with the dongle containing a given
Collections license can play it. Of course you
can move the dongles from machine to
machine, but be careful when doing that,
because Syncrosoft gets extremely unhappy if
you attempt to start Vienna Instruments with-
out the dongle attached. (Unlike some other
Syncrosoft-protected programs, it doesnt
actually bring down the host sequencer if you
forget the dongle, but it puts your computer
into a stupor long enough that you will prob-
ably force-quit manually.)
These libraries installed without any prob-
lems on both test machines. The Syncrosoft
dongle is pretty much unobtrusive on the
Windows computer, launching the Vienna
Instruments player in about 15 seconds. The
first time you run the program on the Mac,
however, it takes about a minute and 40 sec-
onds to check in with the dongle and launch;
this delay is the same with the stand-alone
program or the plug-in. But additional
instances of the player come right up and
samples load very quickly, considering the
size of the programs.
The playeroverview
VSL has always been a huge library. Its
known for having a staggering number of
articulations that are pretty much uniform for
every instrument, and its impeccably
detailed.
The Symphonic Cube has far more articula-
tions than even the earlier VSL editions. In the
Vienna Instruments player these mapped
articulations are called Patches, and they can
still be loaded individually. The only real dif-
ference is that you cant edit the actual sam-
ple files the way you could in the EXS24 and
GigaStudio versions that preceded this one.
To paint the picture of how refined this
library is, take just one of the solo violins 18
main folders: Short and Long Notes. In addi-
tion to the different short bow playing tech-
niques (detach, spiccato) this folder has a
variety of vibrato choices for the sustained
notes: with and without vibrato, progressive
vibrato, marcato with vibrato, diminishing
vibrato
The problem is how to access all those
articulations. In the past, and with other
libraries including VSLs own Horizons and
Opus series, you program performances by
splitting each MIDI note/group of notes to a
track assigned to the articulation you want
it/them to play. Thats not necessarily a bad
way of working, in fact MIDI programming is
a unique skill. However, I think most people
would agree that the way the Vienna
Instruments player works is a big step forward
even for musicians who prefer to program
than to play. (Never mind that most of us use
a combination of both.)
What this player does is allow you to load
up as many of these Presets as you need and
arrange them into performance set-ups called
Matrixes, where theyre ready to be sum-
moned by a variety of MIDI commands. Lots
of pre-defined Matrixes are included, you can
create your own, and you can customize the
commands for switching between Patches
very easily.
Finally, you can have several Matrixes
L
ike most modern sample libraries, VSL makes extensive use of keyswitches, which
are notes on an unused area at the very top or bottom of the keyboard. Vienna
Instruments Presets use keyswitches to call up different Matrixes. Theyre an excellent
control source, especially for scale runshit, say, an F# keyswitch and you bring up an
F# scale and all its modes.
Now, almost all sequencers since the 80s have had a note-chasing feature that looks
back to see which notes are sounding at the current location, and then sounds those
notes as soon as you hit Play. The same goes for controller-chasingthey always know
whether the sustain pedal is supposed to be up or down, that the mod wheel is sup-
posed to be in the middle, and so on.
Unfortunately, none of the MIDI sequencers on the market understands the differ-
ence between regular notes and keyswitch notes. Unless the keyswitch note happens
to be sounding at the point youve located to, the sequencer doesnt know to play it
and tell (in this case) the Vienna Instruments player which celli.e. which Presetits
supposed to be on. Naturally, your music will sound all wrong.
One workaround is to extend the length of every keyswitch note up to the begin-
ning of the following one (many sequencers have commands for doing this). However,
this is a nuisance, and it also doesnt solve the other problem: keyswitch notes need to
be kept off sequencers notation screens so they dont appear in the score.
In a moderately ideal world there would be a separate lane for keyswitch notes in
the sequencer, and notes in that lane are excluded from the score. But in Nirvana the
sequencer and sampler actually become one with each other: every keyswitch note is
displayed with a name of the program assigned to it, making it blissfully easy to edit.
Keyswitching
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24 V I R T U A L I NS T R U ME NT S
loaded, ready to be called up by a keyswitch.
These big set-ups are called Presets.
And thats how youre able to call up any
Program in real time.
Matrix reloaded
One of the first things you notice about the
Vienna Instruments player is that it displays
meaningful information about the Patches,
Matrixes, or Presets youre going to load.
That includes a description of the program
and how much RAM it takes up.
Just this seemingly basic librarian feature
alone makes the library considerably easier to
deal with, since knowing the programs you
have to work with is half the battle (the other
half is getting the sound of all the articula-
tions in your head). The player doesnt stop
there, thoughits interface is very clear, and
it takes no time to learn your way around it.
What does take some thought and (for me,
anyway) constant refinement is how you set
up your Matrixes and Presets. However, every
instrument comes with a Universal Preset that
has all the important articulations already set
up for you.
The Universal Presets dont include every
single articulation in the library, but you could
be very happy using them and nothing else;
they include a lot. There are also Universal
Matrixes that contain legato, slightly accent-
ed, and fast playing techniques, each one in
four different lengths. Consider that not very
long ago, entire sample libraries werent near-
ly as extensive as the Universal Matrixes,
never mind the much larger Universal Presets.
But while the Matrixes are a manageable
size, but there is one problem with the
Universal Presets: they use RAM, RAM, and
RAM. The Extended solo cellos Universal
Preset is 1013MB (the Standard library cello is
552MB); while they arent all quite that large,
you can only run three or maybe four of
these programs on a well-stocked machine.
One way to reclaim RAM is to use the
Optimize functionplay Vienna Instruments
your sequence, and it unloads all the samples
that didnt get triggered. Thats not some-
thing youd want to do before youre finished
with a part, since clearly you cant play sam-
ples that arent loaded, but there is a Reset
button that loads the whole thing again.
It can be shocking how much RAM you
reclaim, even with complicated parts that use
a lot of articulations. One solo violin part I
Optimized caused the Vienna Instruments
RAM usage to drop all the way to 15MB
down from over 900MB.
Still, the real way to save RAM is to set up
programs that arent quite as luxurious. Thats
very easy to do, thanks again to the clever
interface.
Switching
The Vienna Instruments player uses a sys-
tem of vertical and horizontal cells, which
are slots for Programs. There are up to 12
available in each direction; to load a program
into one, you simply select it and drag the
Preset you want onto the workspace area.
Its also possible to load two Presets into a
single cell and either layer or crossfade them.
Presets in a cell can be assigned independent
level settings, start delays, 4-stage envelopes,
and release sample delays. The settings of
these sliders are reflected in the eye of the
selecting ring when you move them; normally
the eye displays concentric MIDI velocity and
audio level meters.
Theres considerable flexibility in how you
construct Matrixes and set up controllers to
switch between Presets. In a typical set-up,
you might have a few different types of artic-
ulations on the vertical axisperhaps legato,
sustained marcato, and staccato techniques.
Or perhaps you want legato and portmento.
However, theres nothing to stop you from
loading completely different instruments into
adjacent cells (if you have more than one
instrument Collection, of course), or layering
two different instruments in a single one.
That could be useful in live performance situ-
ations.
Conversely, its common to use the same
Preset in more than one cell if you want to
keep coming back to it (it only gets loaded
into RAM once). But were jumping ahead.
Now, most of the factory Matrixes use
the mod wheel to switch cells along the verti-
cal axis. While the mod wheels physical loca-
tion makes it a natural choice, you could just
as easily switch Patches using any other MIDI
continuous controller, the pitch wheel (so it
automatically springs back to whatever articu-
lation you have assigned to its middle value),
velocity, keyswitches, or the ingenious Speed
control.
These switches are the same ones available
along the horizontal axis, and you can edit
W
hen Vienna Symphonic Library came out with their First
Edition for TASCAM GigaStudio and Apple Logic Pros
EXS24 samplers a few years ago, it was hard to believe that any-
one could undertake a sampling project of that scope. Since then
two other major orchestral libraries have been released, making
the whole concept somewhat more believable. But VSLs custom-
built sampling studio, The Silent Stage, has been highly active all
along, and VSL is still the largest sample library in the world.
One of the first things you notice about VSL is that until you
run it through a good reverb, most of it sounds totally wrong.
Thats intentional.
The Silent Stage isnt dry, but it has a very short reverb time;
the instruments arent close-miked, but they dont sound like they
were recorded from the audience perpectiveand in fact they
werent. This allows you to use VSL in many contexts, from con-
temporary to chamber to symphonic, depending on the artificial
space you put it in.
Each of the three major orchestral libraries has a general ten-
dency. If East West Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra is bom-
bastic and Sonic Implants Symphonic Collection is warm, Id say
that VSL leans toward the subtle and refined side. But of course
its fully capable of getting bombastic or warm, just as the other
two are capable of subtlety.
As much as possible, VSL records the same set of articulations
for every instrument. That helps make the library easy to learn,
and you can generally switch or copy parts to different instru-
ments very quickly.
Two other interesting features of VSL are that in addition to
the standard articulations, they recorded repetitions of each note
so you dont hear the same sample over and over; and they
recorded legato transitions in the same breath or bow from and
to every note of the chromatic scale over a wide range.
To implement these samples they designed a program called
the Performance Tool, which listened to your playing and sent
out keyswitches to summon the appropriate articulations. Its
Repetition and Alternation modes were sophisticated round-robin
players; its Legato mode interpreted your playing. If you held one
note while playing the next, it inserted a legato transition sam-
ple. But if you left a space between the notes, it played normal
articulations. These features are built into the new Vienna
Instruments player and no longer require a special program or
any set-up.
Subjectively, VSLs best instruments are its solo woodwinds and
solo strings. That doesnt mean the other Collections reviewed
here arent goodon the contrary, the strings are very flexible,
and I especially like the new harsh playing techniques. But solo
instruments done well are incredibly impressive; conversely, they
can really stink up the place when they dont work, because
theyre so exposed.
Still subjectively, VSLs greatest strengthapart from the sub-
tlety of expression youre able to achieve with such a vast selec-
tion of articulationsis somewhat intangible: the notes all have a
meaning. This is especially true of the short woodwinds; rather
than just going toot, their possibilities are immediately obvious.
Thats the great thing about sampling as a medium: it has an
inherent life.
The VSL library
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 62)
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26 V I R T U A L I NS T R U ME NT S
VI
f e a t u r e
640kb ought to be enough for anyone.
If Bill Gates really said those words or if its an urban legend is still
held in darkness, but what we do know is that with the fast computers
we have in our studios today the number crunching power is no longer
necessarily the obvious bottleneck in our machines. The increasing
need for RAM memory caused primarily by the modern huge sample
libraries is taking over the role as our main enemy.
As most of us still live in the 32-bit world with 32-bit Windows XP
and 32-bit processors were stuck with limitations induced by the oper-
ating system that we simply cant get around. That said, there are still
things we can do to improve the situation quite a bit.
A primer
The memory space every application (process) in Windows XP has
access to is 4GB. This is simply due to the fact
that 4GB is the largest number that can be rep-
resented with 32 bits. Out of these 4GB the sys-
tem is given 2GB for its own use.
The end result is that a process can access a
maximum of 2GB. This includes all things that
the process loads such as plug-ins and virtual
instruments.
The 2GB given to the system is used by ker-
nel-mode applications, operating system com-
ponents and drivers. All this means that it does-
nt matter how much memory you install in
your machine; every process will get a maximum of 2GB.
As the system seldom needs 2GB for its own use, Microsoft added a
way to switch from this even split between normal user-mode and ker-
nel-mode applications to a more desirable 3-to-1 split in favor of user-
mode applications. This is done by setting a boot switch that
The superhero responsible for increasing GigaSamplers
memory access by a third explains how to tweak
Windows XP so other programs can access about 75%
more memory for loading samples.
The 3GB Switch
changes how XP configures itself on startup.
When the switch is set, a user-mode application is allowed to allo-
cate up to 3GB memory instead of the previous 2GB. Quite a substan-
tial improvement and a healthy increase for all those memory hungry
software samplers! Of course the switch doesnt make much sense
unless you really have 3GB or more physical memory installed.
Giving it the boot
The 3GB switch is an option you have to add in your boot.ini file.
You can access this file by going into My Computer->Properties-
>Advanced->Startup and Recovery->Settings.
In the following dialog press the Edit button. This should open a text
file with content similar to this:
Before changing anything, please note that if you destroy this
boot.ini file, your computer wont be very happy when starting up. So
take all precautions and medications. If you fail despite this warning,
you can find a way out with a little help from our Microsoft friends by
reading this article: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330184/en-us.
by Mattias Henningson
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28 V I R T U A L I NS T R U ME NT S
To maintain a safe route back to the standard configuration if your machine doesnt like the
3GB switch for some reason, copy the last line and edit it by adding the /3GB switch. Also
change the description on the changed line. In the example it could look like this:
Save the file and restart the machine. When
you restart the machine, you will get an option
to start either one of the two configurations you
now have on your computer, your previous con-
figuration or the 3GB-enabled configuration. If
you select the 3GB and the machine starts up
without problems, youre done.
There are cases when a driver, most probably
a video driver, fails to load when setting the
3GB switch since the amount of kernel-mode
memory in the system is too low. If that happens, its good to know that apart from going back
to the even split, you actually have an option to specify the exact relationship between user-
mode and kernel-mode memory by adding another switch in the boot.ini file called /userva.
Setting this to 2.5GB in the example above would make boot.ini look like this:
Nah, it cant be that easy, right?
No, of course not There is one more catch.
The host application (be it your main sequencer,
another host, or maybe a stand-alone software
synth or sampler) has to be Large Address
Aware.
Obey the LAA
Large Address Aware, from here on denoted as LAA, is simply a single bit in the header of the
applications exe file that tells the operating system whether the application is able or not able to
make use of addresses above 2GB if the system is configured to support them.
What is really cool is that this bit can be set from the outside without having access to the
source code if the application doesnt support LAA already. The fact is that not many applications
are delivered with this bit set even though the programmers seem to be of good breed and
deliver code according to the rules that LAA applications must abide to.
So far the only applications I know about with LAA support as delivered are the latest incarna-
tions of Steinberg Nuendo 3 and Cubase SX3. Some of the other host developers such as
Brainspawn with Forte and FX-Max with FXTeleport have confirmed that they are adding support
in upcoming updates of their products. In any case it may be worth checking with the developer
of the application before hacking it yourself.
On the other hand, people say DIY is rewarding. So how do I add LAA support?
Adding LAA
The standard way of adding LAA support would be to use a command-line utility
called editbin.exe, which is included with Microsoft Visual Studio and some other
development packages. In this article, however, we will use an alternative Windows-
based utility I wrote specifically to back up this article called LaaTiDo.
A link to the utility can be found on the Virtual Instruments Magazine web site,
and directly from me at http://www.musikbanken.se. Using LaaTiDo youre able to:
Check if an application has LAA support
Backup the original file
Add or remove LAA support
The utility will guide you through this 5-step process:
Browse for and select the application executable file. In this example we will add
LAA support to Brainspawn Forte.
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V I R T U A L I NS T R U ME NT S 29
Check if the application already has LAA support by pressing the Check button under Step 2.
Our Brainspawn forte case gives the following result:
As you can see the application does not have LAA support which means we have to add LAA
support ourselves. First we really need to make a backup of the original file.
When selecting the file in step 1 the application automatically proposed a location and file
name for the backup.
Lets say were happy with the name and location. Press the Backup button. If the backup
operation was successful the I have a backup checkbox is selected and the patching button
for Step 4 is enabled. If we already had a backup we could just check the checkbox and contin-
ue.
Press the Enable button and the exe file will be automatically changed to include LAA support.
Upon completion it will look like this:
Check the file once again with the Check button to make sure it reports LAA support.
Test the application and enjoy the added memory space! After all, the worst case is that the
application crashes if it didnt follow the LAA coding rules.
Some remarks
Its important to stress the need for backing up the original boot.ini file. You may need to
restore the original file to be able to apply updates for the product.
There is another way of breaking the 2GB barrier. If you somehow can use more than one pro-
gram at the same time by using stand-alone synths or maybe a second host on the side, you will
be able to use more memory even without the 3GB switch enabled.
Dont expect to ever get access to the full theoretical 2GB or 3GB. One cause for this is that
memory just like hard disks gets fragmented. When the fragmentation gets really bad, XP cant
find a large enough block to give to the application when it requests more memory, and the
request is denied.
Dont enable the 3GB switch on a machine on which youre using TASCAM GigaStudio. As the
sampler engine in GigaStudio is a kernel-mode application, it will suffer heavily from the 3-to-1
memory split. The upcoming Giga Virtual Instrument, GVI, will be a standard user-mode plug-in,
however, and therefore it will to gain from LAA applications.
The future
There is a 64-bit/32-bit hybrid mode in the 64-bit Windows XP version that can raise the
memory limit for 32-bit applications even farther. 32-bit LAA applications running on 64-bit
Windows can access up to 4GB rather than 3GB, since Windows itself is not forced to use this
particular space.
The real solution to our memory needs is a 64-bit world where the current limits are totally
blown away and maximum values are counted in terabytes rather than a couple of gigabytes.
Unfortunately there are still not many alternatives if you decide to go with a full 64-bit solution
right now, in terms of sequencers and hardware drivers.
Cakewalk has already been there since last year with their native 64-bit edition of Sonar, and
some of the major sound card manufacturers have released drivers for their cards, but thats
about it. The support is coming step-by-step and when the time is right the market will probably
explode.
Lets hope that time will come sooner rather than later. VI
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f e a t u r e
The increasing need
for RAM memory
caused primarily by
the modern huge
sample libraries is
taking over the role as
our main enemy.
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30 V I R T U A L I NS T R U ME NT S
VI
i n t e r v i e w
Youve commented that theres too
much emphasis on acoustic realism in
our medium. But youre working with
the Vienna Symphonic Library.
Here are my thoughts. Ive been doing this
for 20 years, and Im still like a beginner.
Every day I learn new things, and this is very
complicatedI would need 200 years to mas-
ter this. I know that.
But I think what happens is a lot of people
compare the virtual orchestra to a live sym-
phony performance, which is absolutely
absurd to me! Its just nuts! Theres just noth-
ing thats comparable to a live symphony in a
hall; thats a unique experience, and no digi-
tal orchestra is ever going to match that.
Now, when I way that it doesnt mean the
digital orchestra cant be incredibly powerful
or musical or expressive in its own right. But
its going to do that with its own attributes
and its own qualities.
If you compare lets say a high-quality digi-
tal recording of the New York Philharmonic to
a really high-quality recording of a virtual
orchestra, now you have a little closer com-
parison. At least now youre dealing with the
same medium: youre listening to the music
through two speakers.
People talk a lot about panning and how
important it is. I just dont agree with that.
Even if youre sitting in the best seat in the
house, right in the center, listening to music
over two speakers is a very different experi-
ence to listening to music live in a hall. So to
me the panning template doesnt make any
sense.
Thats what I mean when I say How much
of this do we owe to the symphonic medium,
how much do we inherit, and how much do
we just have to let go and say This is another
medium that requires a different exploration?
There are a lot of similarities, especially
when youre dealing with orchestration,
because youve got the problems of trans-
parency and orchestral weight and blend,
youve got the orchestral problem of how to
get every instrument to soundand thats
really important, and thats what we have in
common with symphonic writing.
Jerry Gerber
A very different kind of poster
boy for the V.I. medium
Jerry Gerber is a highly skilled serious composer
who works with sample libraries and software synthsesizers.
Rather than making mock-ups with these tools, he treats
this as a serious medium of its own, with its own
capabilities and unique challenges.
While he has done a lot of network television scoring in the
past, for the last decade Jerry has been living in San
Francisco, producing extended concert works on CD.
His music combines sample libraries, synthesizers, and live
musicians (especially singers) very skillfully.
Please go here and listen:
http://www.jerrygerber.com/virtualinstrumentsmagazine.htm
Interview by Nick Batzdorf
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V I R T U A L I NS T R U ME NT S 31
But other than that its an open field. I
think that the new tools are so new that peo-
ple dont know how to approach it, so we
naturally refer to the symphonic orchestra.
And we should, because its an incredible
musical achievementI mean listening to
100 good musicians playing together in a
nice hall is a profound experience.
So if the focus were more on good music,
good structure, good musical development, I
think these problems of realism would take
care of themselves. There are always going to
be people who reject the medium because
they think its supposed to be a symphony
orchestra, and there are always going to be
people who love the medium whether its a
symphony orchestra or not.
That letter I wrote (Trends, 4-5/06) was
out of frustration. I got this letter from some
supposed musician who was basically telling
me to stop doing what I do! It was just a
bizarre letter. I think to myself, if youre
against this medium or you dont like it, just
dont listen to it!
I imagine photographers got the same flack
when photography first hit the scene and
people were saying Whoa, its trying to be a
painting! But people just have to do what
they love, and do the best they can.
Whatever you put out there gets criticized
anyway. Thats just the way it is. Always easier
to criticize than to create, huh?
I find it easier. :)
Since most of our readers are inter-
ested in songwriting or writing for
media, we deal with short forms. Your
works are extended. Can you say any-
thing about the structure?
I basically start out with two or three primary
ideas. In the movement Im working on right
now, there are three. One is a rhythmic motive:
an eighth and two 16ths. Its repeated.
Another one is a 4-note melodic motive
that goes [he plays]: G, Ab, G, Gb. Just those
four notes. And then the other one is [plays a
series of notes that start with a minor/major7
arpeggiated sound but continue]its that
theme.
How I work the form is, those are the pri-
mary ideas and I develop them, make varia-
tions on them, repeat them, take them apart
and turn them upside downall kinds of tech-
niques that composers use, everything from
contrary motion to retrograde to augmenta-
tion, diminution, change of interval, change of
meter, change of accentall that stuff.
How much of that technique is con-
scious while youre doing it?
Half of it. Theres always an intuitive part.
For me, no matter how complicated the
texture is melodically and contrapuntally, it
has to work harmonically. Ive heard a lot
music thats very complex and very intricate
from a contrapuntal point of view, but Im
not crazy about the harmonies.
My favorite harmony sometimes is Irish folk
music. Im a tonal composer, even when I
work with 12-tone rows I end up working
harmonies in a tonal way.
But for me the big challenge composition-
ally is combining tonality with chromaticism.
So much of pop music, for example, uses
seven notes. Youll hear modulations to other
keys, but basically composers are thinking in
terms of seven notes. But there are 12 notes.
I think chromaticism creates some of the
most interesting music, for example the
Mahler symphonic movements.
There are some sections where you
use arpeggiated ostinatos, and people
associate that with minimalism. Is that
how youre thinking?
I think that rather than write minimalist
music or write serial music or write this kind
of music, I think Im a pretty eclectic compos-
er. I try to make styles my own and integrate
them, but there are a lot of times and pas-
sages in my music when Im not interested in
chord progressions, Im interested in building
up a texture and keeping a very pronounced
Fig. 1: The staff view in Cakewalk Sonar of Jerry Gerbers Symphonic Movement 1, a work in progress. He
composes in this screen, entering the notes manually.
Fig. 2: An event list in Gerbers Symphonic Movement 1. Note how many controller moves and patch
changes go with the uncluttered score shown in Fig. 1.
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34 V I R T U A L I NS T R U ME NT S
tonal center, and that will create a minimalist
effectsometimes by overlaying four or five
different contrapuntal parts but not necessari-
ly changing chords.
To me, tonality is like gravity: you can play
with it, you can suspend it, you can work
with it, you can hide itbut you cant get rid
of it. Sort of like flying from here to New
Yorkas long as those engines are on and
theyre flying the airplane, the plane is not
going to crash. But you turn those engines
off, and immediately gravity comes into play.
Music is like that in the sense that theres a
natural tendency to resolve tones. I dont
know how much of it is a result of the physics
of sound and the overtone series, how much
of it is cultural bias, and how much of it is just
a result of how our brains have evolved. But I
find that music that never resolves tonally
doesnt reach me deeply.
In some ways, minimalism is a reaction
against serialism. Whereas serialism was an
attempt to completely eliminate tonal gravity,
minimalism is an attempt to affirm the prima-
cy of tonal gravity.
I mix in both directions. Its fun to play
with tonality, though, and suspend it and
hide it and not resolve things, and thwart lis-
teners expectations sometimes. I guess the
trick is to do that and still have it make sense
musically.
Youve commented that some of your
less experienced students come to you
with a concept of orchestrationthey
might bring some nice texturesbut
they dont have a concept of the form.
I think form is the last part of composers
technique to mature, and its difficult to
develop form if all you write are short cues for
visual media. Most film music, the cues are
anywhere from 20 to 40 seconds long, some-
times three minutes, sometimes even four or
five, but thats about it.
So its hard to develop long form. Like any-
thing else, you just have to practice over and
over again. I dont know how much of it is
learning and how much is intuitive talent;
theres obviously a combination with every-
body.
I think in some ways the technology is very
intoxicating and very seductive. Just like hav-
ing a fancy word processors not going to
make you into Shakespeare, having the most
elaborate equipments not going to add to
your musical chops unless youve studied
music too.
Where would you have a student
start practicing form?
I would go to the master composers like
Mozart, Mahler, or Beethoven symphonies, or
even Bach fugueswhich are short but
incredibly complete formsand I would ask
the student to just sit there with a score and
just listen to the piece 20 times over a week,
and just absorb the textures and the way
music is developed.
Thats if they want to do that! Most stu-
dents who have come to me want to do film
music. I can understand thatits practical,
its one of the few ways a composer can make
a living. Very, very few, maybe a handful of
composers in the United States make a living
writing serious classical music that isnt for
film or television or computer games.
If youre writing for television, you dont
have to worry about form too much.
The forms dictated. But theres also
speed. Some people crank out ten min-
utes of music in a day.
Well, it may be ten minutes of music, but
what kind of music? When I was doing the
Gumby television series and I had 750 cues
over a year and a half, I wrote very, very
fastI had to do six episodes a month.
But it wasnt my best music. My best music
takes time, it takes time for music to age. I
mean, it took Brahms 25 years to write his
first symphony! Its not uncommon for com-
posers to spend yearsfive, six, nine years on
a work.
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 62)
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